The ninth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar was broadcast on German channel RTL from 7 January to 27 April 2012. Luca Hänni won the series. Jury members Fernanda Brandão and Patrick Nuo left DSDS and were replaced by Bruce Darnell and Cascada's Natalie Horler. As the winner, Luca Hänni received a recording contract with Universal Music Group and €500,000. Participants must be living in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. For the first time, the age limit was relaxed. The auditions stage had 34 audition events in 33 cities across Germany, Austria or Switzerland. 35,401 participants auditioned for season 9. Marco Schreyl will not be returning to host season 10.
Production
Changes include Fernanda Brandão and Patrick Nuo leaving the DSDS jury immediately after season 8 and were replaced by Bruce Darnell and Cascada's Natalie Horler. RTL decided to have a "Top 16" instead of a "Top 15". Participants sang in duets in the Top 6.
The audition cities were Soltau, Saarbrücken, Trier, Mannheim, Karlsdorf, Munich, Landshut, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Freiburg, Zurich, Bern, Graz, Salzburg, Berlin, Dresden, Leipzig, Magdeburg, Rostock, Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover, Osnabrück, Cologne, Dortmund, Koblenz, Aachen, Schüttorf, Vienna, Frankfurt, Kassel, Münster, Essen and a second time in Cologne. There were 35.401 participants that auditioned for season 9. Production for the Top 36 was in the Maldives.
The jury and host
Dieter Bohlen was born on 7 February 1954 in Oldenburg. He has been a judge on DSDS since season 1. He got his first job as a composer and producer in 1979. He is now the most successful German composer and producer. Bohlen and Thomas Anders, as members of Modern Talking, are the only German act with five titles in a row at number 1 on the German singles chart.
Season 9 is Natalie Horler's first season on the jury panel. She is the lead singer for Cascada. She was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Germany. Horler is the daughter of David Horler.
Bruce Darnell was born on 19 July 1957 in the US state of Colorado. He grew up in New York City. In 1983, he began his career as a model in Munich. He later moved to Cologne to continue his career as a model. Since 1990, Darnell worked as a choreographer and trained models for the catwalk. He was a judge on Germany's Next Topmodel and Das Supertalent. He replaced Patrick Nuo for season 9.
Marco Schreyl has been the host of DSDS since season 3. He was born on 1 January 1974 in Erfurt, East Germany and is a graduate of the University of Jena. He has also hosted Das Supertalent.
Auditions The auditions for season 9 started on 27 August 2011. The deadline to apply for auditions was 15 August 2011. Participants must be between the ages of 16 and 30 and living in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. 34 Audition events were held in 33 cities.
"Recall" The first recall show aired on 4 February. The 135 candidates who advanced to the Recall were split up into groups where the judges picked 60 candidates for the next round. The 60 candidates who advanced participated in groups and duets. The Top 36 went to the Maldives. Ole Jahn left voluntarily in the Top 36 for health reasons.
Finalists (Ages stated at time of contest)
Contestant Age Hometown Voted off Liveshow theme Luca Hänni 17 Uetendorf, Switzerland WinnerGrand Finale Daniele Negroni 16 Regensburg 28 April 2012 Jesse Ritch 20 Urtenen-Schönbühl, Switzerland 21 April 2012 Semifinal Fabienne Rothe 16 Dormagen 14 April 2012 Pop, Rock & Classic Joey Heindle 18 Freising 7 April 2012 Power Song vs. Unplugged Kristof Hering 23 Hamburg 31 March 2012 Solo & Duets Hamed Anousheh 25 Cologne 24 March 2012 Let's Go to the South Vanessa Krasniqi 17 Iserlohn 17 March 2012 Songs from the Heart for You Silvia Amaru 21 Hamburg 10 March 2012 Party Hits Thomas Pegram 27 Hohenems, Austria 3 March 2012 Hammer Hits
Top 16 – "Jetzt oder nie" (Now or Never) Original airdate: 25 February 2012
Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsUrsula James We Found Love (Rihanna) 2,70% (13/16)Daniele Negroni Forget You (Cee Lo Green) 12,97% (3/16)Fabienne Rothe Just Hold Me (Maria Mena) 5,63% (7/16)Christian Schöne I Want to Break Free (Queen) 3,60% (11/16)Marcello Ciurlia Summer of '69 (Bryan Adams) 2,57% (14/16)Angel Burjansky Get Here (Oleta Adams) 1,81% (16/16)Silvia Amaru I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Whitney Houston) 3,65% (10/16)Jesse Ritch Let Me Love You (Mario) 8,00% (4/16)Kristof Hering Und es war Sommer (Peter Maffay) 4,26% (8/16)Dennis Richter I Won't Let You Go (James Morrison) 2,16% (15/16)Jana Skolina The One That Got Away (Katy Perry) 3,21% (12/16)Hamed Anousheh Hangover (Taio Cruz) 7,00% (5/16)Thomas Pegram You've Got a Friend (Carole King) 3,98% (9/16)Joey Heindle Here Without You (3 Doors Down) 14,12% (2/16)Vanessa Krasniqi I'll Be There (Mariah Carey) 6,90% (6/16)Luca Hänni The A Team (Ed Sheeran) 17,41% (1/16) Group Song: "Good Feeling" Advancing to Top 10 (Public votes): Vanessa, Jesse, Thomas, Fabienne, Joey, Kristof, Luca, Daniele, Silvia and Hamed. Eliminated in the Top 16 Show: Angel, Jana, Marcello, Ursula, Christian and Dennis.
Theme shows
Top 10 - "Hammer Hits" Original airdate: 3 March 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsSilvia Amaru Domino (Jessie J) 5,84% (8/10)Kristof Hering Verdammt, ich lieb' dich (Matthias Reim) 5,53% (9/10)Thomas Pegram Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson) 5,02% (10/10)Joey Heindle Hey, Soul Sister (Train) 14,84% (2/10)Vanessa Krasniqi Rolling in the Deep (Adele) 11,93% (4/10)Jesse Ritch So Sick (Ne-Yo) 7,10% (7/10)Daniele Negroni Beautiful Girls (Sean Kingston) 14,39% (3/10) Fabienne Rothe Wovon sollen wir träumen (Frida Gold) 10,76% (5/10)Hamed Anousheh You Give Me Something (James Morrison) 8,10% (6/10)Luca Hänni Baby Can I Hold You (Boyzone) 17,49% (1/10) Group Song:"Troublemaker" Jury Elimination Forecast: Silvia Amaru Bottom 3: Kristof Hering, Thomas Pegram, Silvia Amaru Eliminated: Thomas Pegram
Top 9 - "Party Hits" Original airdate: 10 March 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsKristof Hering Ai se eu te pego! (Michel Teló) 8,07% (7/9) Fabienne Rothe Jungle Drum (Emilíana Torrini) 10,35% (4/9) Jesse Ritch Yeah 3x (Chris Brown) 7,66% (8/9)Silvia Amaru On the Floor (Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull) 5,63% (9/9) Luca Hänni Baby (Justin Bieber) 17,66% (1/9)Daniele Negroni All Summer Long (Kid Rock) 14,51% (3/9)Vanessa Krasniqi Titanium (David Guetta ft. Sia) 9,48% (6/9)Joey Heindle Crying at the Discoteque (Alcazar) 16,61% (2/9)Hamed Anousheh Give Me Everything (Ne-Yo ft. Pitbull) 10,03% (5/9) Group Song:"Party Rock Anthem" Jury Elimination Forecast: Silvia Amaru or Joey Heindle Bottom 3: Silvia Amaru, Kristof Hering & Jesse Ritch Eliminated: Silvia Amaru
Top 8 - "Herzensongs für dich" (Songs from the heart for you) Original airdate: 17 March 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsDaniele Negroni Oh Johnny (Jan Delay) 15,27% (2/8)Jesse Ritch Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars) 9,58% (5/8) Kristof Hering So Bist Du (Peter Maffay) 7,46% (7/8) Fabienne Rothe Mercy (Duffy) 9,69% (4/8) Vanessa Krasniqi Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis) 7,38% (8/8)Hamed Anousheh Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5) 9,14% (6/8) Luca Hänni Use Somebody (in the version of Laura Jansen) 14,89% (3/8)Joey Heindle Der Weg (Herbert Grönemeyer) 26,59% (1/8) Group Song: "I Came for You" Jury Elimination Forecast: Joey Heindle Bottom 3: Kristof Hering, Hamed Anousheh & Vanessa Krasniqi Eliminated: Vanessa Krasniqi
Top 7 - "Ab in den Süden" (Let's go to the South) Original airdate: 24 March 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsJesse RitchDanza Kuduro (Lucenzo ft. Don Omar) 9,77% (6/7)Fabienne Rothe36 Grad (2raumwohnung) 24,33% (1/7)Kristof HeringÜber Den Wolken (Dieter Thomas Kuhn) 10,67% (5/7)Luca HänniFields of Gold (Sting) 15,67% (3/7)Hamed AnoushehHeart Skips a Beat (Olly Murs ft. Rizzle Kicks) 8,88% (7/7) Joey HeindleLove Is in the Air (John Paul Young) 16,31% (2/7)Daniele NegroniAb In Den Süden (Buddy & DJ The Wave) 14,37% (4/7)
Group Song:"I Was Made for Lovin' You" Jury Elimination Forecast:Joey Heindle & Kristof Hering Bottom 3: Hamed Anousheh, Kristof Hering & Jesse Ritch Eliminated: Hamed Anousheh
Top 6 - "Solo & Duets" Original airdate: 31 March 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsFabienne RotheHigher (Taio Cruz ft. Kylie Minogue) Jesse RitchDaniele NegroniY.M.C.A (Village People) Kristof HeringJoey HeindleHero (Enrique Iglesias) Luca HänniJesse RitchDJ Got Us Fallin' in Love (Usher) 21,41% (1/6)Fabienne RotheNew Soul (Yael Naim) 16,14% (5/6)Daniele NegroniForgive Forget (Caligola) 17,39% (3/6)Kristof HeringJoana (Roland Kaiser) 9,42% (6/6) Luca HänniYou and Me (in My Pocket) (Milow) 19,47% (2/6)Joey HeindleBitte hör nicht auf zu träumen (Xavier Naidoo) 16,17% (4/6) Group Song: "Without You" Jury Elimination Forecast: Jesse Ritch & Kristof Hering Bottom 3: Joey Heindle, Kristof Hering & Fabienne Rothe Eliminated: Kristof Hering
Top 5 - "Power Song vs. Unplugged" Original airdate: 7 April 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsFabienne Rothe "Someone like You" (Adele) 17,32% (4/5) "Hello" (Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette)Jesse Ritch "Breathing" (Jason Derulo) 21,66% (3/5) "Breathe Easy" (Blue)Daniele Negroni "Cello" (Udo Lindenberg ft. Clueso) 23,59% (1/5) "It's My Life" (Bon Jovi)Joey Heindle "Grenade" (Bruno Mars) 15,57% (5/5) "Behind Blue Eyes" (Limp Bizkit)Luca Hänni "Hey There Delilah" (Plain White T's) 21,86% (2/5) "Wonderful Life" (Hurts) Group Song: "Don't Wanna Go Home" Jury Elimination Forecast: Fabienne Rothe & Joey Heindle Bottom 3: Jesse Ritch, Fabienne Rothe & Joey Heindle Eliminated: Joey Heindle
Top 4 - "Pop, Rock & Classic" Original airdate: 14 April 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsFabienne Rothe "Hot N Cold" (Katy Perry) 20,31% (4/4) "Black Velvet" (Alannah Myles) "Liebe ist Alles" (Rosenstolz)Jesse Ritch "She Doesn't Mind" (Sean Paul) 25,70% (3/4) "The Final Countdown" (Europe) "Earth Song" (Michael Jackson)Daniele Negroni "No Matter What" (Boyzone) 27,97% (1/4) "Sex on Fire" (Kings of Leon) "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (Guns N' Roses)Luca Hänni "Beautiful People" (Chris Brown ft. Benny Benassi) 26,02% (2/4) "Chasing Cars" (Snow Patrol) "Eisener Steg" (Philipp Poisel) Group Song: "Turn This Club Around" Jury Elimination Forecast: Fabienne Rothe Bottom 2: Fabienne Rothe & Jesse Ritch Eliminated: Fabienne Rothe
Top 3 - Semi-Final Original airdate: 21 April 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsDaniele Negroni "Wherever You Will Go" (The Calling) 34,62% (1/3) "Drive By" (Train) "Beggin'" (Madcon) Jesse Ritch "Die Erste Träne" (Bisou) 32,55% (3/3) "Every Breath You Take" (The Police) "Unbelievable" (Craig David)Luca Hänni "Das Beste" (Silbermond) 32,83% (2/3) "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" (The Script) "Ma Chèrie" (DJ Antoine) Group Song: "Relight My Fire" & "Live My Life" Jury Elimination Forecast: The jury was indecisive. Bottom 2: Jesse Ritch & Luca Hänni Eliminated: Jesse Ritch
Top 2 - Final (Contestants' Choice, Highlight Song & Winner's Single) Original airdate: 28 April 2012 Contestants Song (Artist) Percentage of callsDaniele Negroni "Dance with Somebody" (Mando Diao) 47,15% (2/2) "Forgive Forget" (Caligola) "Don't Think About Me" (Winner's Single)Luca Hänni "Allein, Allein" (Polarkreis 18) 52,85% (1/2) "The A Team" (Ed Sheeran) "Don't Think About Me" (Winner's Single) Group Song: "Good Feeling" (Top 10 Finalists), "There She Goes" & "Almost Lover" (Daniele & Luca) Jury's Forecast of who will win: / Winner: Luca Hänni Runner-Up: Daniele Negroni
Elimination chart Female Male Top 16 Top 10 Winner SafeSafe FirstSafe LastEliminated